Archive for the ‘Moller International’ tag

The problem with automobiles is this: They require roads to operate on. Even trucks and jeeps have limits off road, which is why the idea of a flying car continues to have so much appeal. Though the Terrafugia Transition “roadable aircraft” inches ever closer to availability, its operators will need to be trained and licensed pilots, greatly limiting the craft’s appeal (and the pool of available buyers). What if a vehicle could provide many of the benefits of a flying car, without requiring a pilot’s license to operate? That’s exactly the question raised by engineer Paul Moller, the inventor of the Moller M200G Volantor and its latest evolution, the Moller Neuera.

Unlike Moller’s other work in development, the Moller Skycar, the Moller M200G Volantor is more advanced hovercraft than airplane, though Moller himself refers to the craft as a “personal vertical take off and landing vehicle.” Using the ground effect (the increased lift and decreased drag experienced by a wing close to the ground) to produce added lift, the M200G is designed to be operated at a height of up to 10 feet, giving the operator the ability to clear obstacles like rocks, logs, stalled cars and even bodies of water. The Neuera takes the M200G’s capabilities and extends them even further, theoretically giving licensed sport pilots the ability to operate at altitudes as high as 8,000 feet.

The M200G can accommodate payloads of up to 350 pounds.

Round in shape, with either an open cockpit or an enclosed plexiglass dome, the MG200 uses a pronounced tail fin to steer, while eight “Rotapower” rotary engines provide both lift and thrust. Electronics are said to keep the M200G stable in flight, while preventing operators from exceeding the 10-foot (112 inches, to be specific) ground effect altitude limit established by the size of the craft. The cruising speed is said to be 50 MPH, though details on maximum speed or range are somewhat vague. In mid-2007, Moller announced that production of the M200G would begin shortly, but that milestone has apparently not yet been reached.

Like the M200G, the Neuera also features eight Rotapower engines (each rated at 55 horsepower) for lift and propulsion. The craft offers side-by-side seating, as long as the maximum net payload of 350 pounds isn’t exceeded, and offers a cruising speed at sea level of 75 MPH, along with a claimed top speed of 100 MPH. At maximum weight, the Neuera is said to offer a range of 100 miles between refueling spots, and can be configured to run on ethanol, gasoline, or blended fuels. At cruising speed, the Neuera is expected to return fuel economy of 8.3 miles per gallon on gasoline, which isn’t bad when one factors in its eight engines.

Though the M200G and its variants have been under development since the 1980s, Moller claims it’s still working on verification and approval from the appropriate regulatory agencies before production (and hence, sales to the public) can begin. Given the company’s history of optimistically projecting product status, it’s not likely we’ll see M200Gs overhead anytime soon, but it’s probably worth pointing out that even Thomas Edison witnessed many more failures than successes. Moller International head, Dr. Paul Moller, is also the founder of exhaust manufacturer Supertrapp Industries (which he sold in 1988), as well as a professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis; in other words, he has a solid background in both theory and manufacturing.

Whether Moller International will ever be able to resolve the regulatory and financial obstacles that block the M200G from reaching production remains to be seen, but it is likely that someone eventually will. As an everyday vehicle, the M200G may not be the most practical, but future personal VTOL craft could deliver better fuel economy (and hence, better range) and even greater payload potential, assuming the demand is there. When that happens, perhaps history will look back on the M200 as the craft that made us ponder, “what if?”